


Work Ethic

by SelenaEstella



Series: RFVF2017 [2]
Category: Rune Factory (Video Games)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 15:58:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9827639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelenaEstella/pseuds/SelenaEstella
Summary: Prompt: “You did this for me?” and/or “A misunderstanding”Arthur overworks himself trying to get some free time to spend with Lest, and an unexpected arrival doesn’t help.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Arthur's pretty young, really, and I tried to reflect that.
> 
> Features an OC.

“Alright,” Arthur muttered, “alright, just one more to go…” It was 8.45 am, and he’d been awake the whole night.

The mountain of paperwork that had greeted Arthur the morning before had slowly been reduced to one last sheet of paper. Letters were sealed and ready for delivery; the harvest report was complete. Arthur had finished analysing his weekly trading and written up an outline for the next month. All he had to do was this final task, and then, he would be ready.

Arthur read the letter.

He read it again.

He read it a third time.

 _Arthur D. Lawrence_ , it said.

_I write first to give you my sincerest gratitude. The mad tyrant Ethelberd has long been a great threat to the Kingdom of Norad, and the entirety of the free world has breathed a sigh of relief._

Straight after that, the letter got down to business.

_Both the people of Norad and myself would be grateful if you were to begin negotiating diplomatic relations with the remains of the Sechs Empire. Multiple factions have split from the collapsing central government, and many have broached the subject of trade. Even more wish to ally themselves against the dissenters who remain. The sooner we begin direct, reliable correspondence, the sooner we can aid those who need it._

_I require a full study into the separate divisions; what each has to offer in terms of trade, the structure of their ranks, their locations, potential threat level, and any other information you deem pertinent. I have faith that you will know._

_Research must be begun immediately if we are to have any success in unifying this fractured nation. I trust nobody but you with this task._

_I keenly anticipate your response._

_Sincerely,  
Your father, His Majesty Gilbert U. Lawrence._

Arthur slowly, slowly set the letter down.

A report. Of course. He must… he must write. Form connections. Organise parties to meet with the ex-Sechs groups. Contact border nations, such as Kardia. Track down ex-Sechs soldiers who had defected and employ them.

Arthur looked at his timepiece.

He had ten minutes.

Arthur took a deep, steadying breath. He had to make a start at least. If he wrote the most important letters first, he could buy some time while waiting for replies.

He began the first letter back to his king... to his father.

-

Lest leaned against the palace wall and checked his watch for the umpteenth time.

Arthur had agreed to meet him over half an hour ago. Sure, it wasn’t uncommon for one or both of them to be delayed by a couple of minutes, but neither had ever had to wait this long. Even when Lest was in the middle of farm work, he would drop everything if he realised he was due for a date with his boyfriend.

The smack of shoes on stone drew Lest away from his thoughts. Despite the wait, the sight of Arthur running across the plaza, loose sheets of paper fluttering in his wake, was enough to make Lest smile.

Arthur staggered to a halt in front of Lest. “I am… so sorry,” he panted. “Didn’t mean to… I just…”

“It’s ok,” said Lest, still smiling as he stood up straight. “I’m sure it was very important.”

A look of intense guilt flashed across Arthur’s face for a moment, before he took a deep breath and smoothed it away. He gave Lest a brittle smile, and Lest noticed deep shadows beneath Arthur’s eyes.

“You’re too kind,” said Arthur. He took another deep breath and seemed to fully recover from his sprint. “Shall we be on our way, then?”

“Sure!” Lest turned right. Arthur turned left.

“Uh, th-the lake?”

Arthur blinked rapidly and spun on his heel, quickly righting himself. “Oh, yes, of course.”

They walked side by side down the peaceful Selphia streets. Little birds chirped and hopped, but for once, Arthur wasn’t saying anything about their cuteness. In fact he barely seemed to notice them at all, eyes staring straight through the paving stones. And that wasn’t the only thing wrong.

Lest wanted to hold Arthur’s hand. They had fairly recently progressed to that part of their relationship, and it still sent a little thrill through Lest’s stomach, just being able to walk casually with his boyfriend, clearly together. But for some reason, Arthur kept moving his arms. He crossed them over his chest for a moment, before tucking them under his cloak. He’d reach for something in his pocket before sweeping distractedly at his hair. And he still hadn’t really _said_ anything.

It wasn’t long before they reached Dragon Lake. Arthur stared over the water, seeming to relax a little in the cool breeze. Lest bit his lip and stepped closer, sliding an arm around his boyfriend’s waist.

Arthur flinched. It was subtle, but this close, Lest still felt it. Even though Arthur dropped his head onto Lest’s shoulder, he still felt tense, and Lest was getting more worried by the second.

Was it… was it him?

They hadn’t been together very long, not really. There was still so much about Arthur that Lest didn’t know, and it didn’t help that the prince could be so reserved about his emotions. Had… Could something have happened? Had Lest done something, by accident?

Lest leant back a little so he could see Arthur’s face.

“Ari,” he said quietly, a rare use of Arthur’s nickname. “Is something wrong?”

“Hm?” Arthur gave a tiny shake of his head, like he was breaking out of a daydream. He looked at Lest and smiled, but it was small and forced.

“Of course not, everything’s fine!”

“Really?” Lest asked sceptically.

Arthur nodded. “Really. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

“Okay…” Lest wasn’t reassured in the slightest, but he pressed himself back into Arthur’s side, watching the water and trying to enjoy the closeness. Maybe after a few minutes, they’d–

“Your Highness!!”

Lest and Arthur both jumped and turned around.

“What is it?” they asked together, as Volkanon came to a sharp halt beside them. Was the grass smoking slightly?

“A royal airship has docked!” Volkanon declared, addressing the space in between Lest’s and Arthur’s heads. Arthur froze. “His Royal highness, Prince Cador of Norad, has arrived in Selphia!”

-

Arthur wasn’t feeling well. Not well at all.

His frantic ten minutes of writing time had stretched into almost forty. Hand stiff and ink-splattered, Arthur had almost had a heart attack when he'd finally noticed the time, and the mad dash to the Palace hadn’t made him feel any better.

And Lest. Gods, Lest, waiting still, smiling through his disappointment.

Arthur had tried to make himself relax, but his latest task kept gnawing at his mind. Exploration parties, peace treaties, undercover investigation… it all ran in circles in his mind, each stray thought looping back to where it started.

 _Dammit_. He’d just wanted to spend time with Lest, have maybe _an hour_ interrupted and then

 _Cador_.

Arthur held no resentment towards any of his half-brothers. They were his family and he loved them. But out of all of them, for _Cador_ to arrive unannounced…

Arthur tried to breathe, but he felt as though he had several copies of _The Noradian Trader’s Dictionary of Terms: A Revised and Extended Addition_ stacked on top of his chest. He couldn’t seem to get a proper breath, and a sharp, throbbing pain was building on the left side of his forehead.

“Lest,” he muttered, while Volkanon sobbed on about the joys of family and brotherhood. “I’m sorry, but I really need to sort this out. Let me speak to Cador, I’ll buy us time… Lest?”

Lest wasn’t looking at Arthur—he was looking at the muddy ground between his shoes.

Oh, no…

Arthur grabbed at Lest’s hand, forcing his boyfriend to turn at look at him. Trying, desperately, not to freeze at the sight of how miserable Lest looked, Arthur stepped forward and hugged him instead. Lest immediately returned the embrace, and just for a second, all of Arthur’s worry and stress melted away.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, throat a little tight. “I am so, so sorry Lest, I don’t want this, I want to be with you…”

“Am I interrupting something?” a familiar voice drawled. Arthur pulled away so fast that Lest staggered forward a few steps.

“Arty!” Cador greeted, in all his technicolour glory. “How’ve you been?”

-

Cador was… bright? Lest felt like squinting.

His cloak spread like the wings of a butterfly, billowing even in the light breeze and throwing colours onto the grass where the sun shone through it. His long, crimson tunic was a relatively simple cut, but it glittered blindingly, adorned with gold and jewels. There was what looked like a wreath of flowers in his blonde, curly hair, and Lest identified _all_ of them as species of Crystal–-blue, green, red and white, layers upon layers of petals.

And… were those things really _shoes?_

Cador’s wardrobe must be worth more than Lest’s whole farm. The whole of Selphia, even.

And he was related to _Arthur?_

Speaking of…

Lest glanced at his boyfriend. Arthur looked more angry than Lest had ever seen him. Volkanon, it seemed, had made a tactical retreat, and Lest was wondering if he should join him.

“Cador,” said Arthur, and Lest bit back a wince at the chill in his tone. If Cador noticed, he didn’t react, striding forward to fling his arms around Arthur and almost pushing Lest over as he passed.

“Father sent me to give you a hand,” Cador explained, grinning widely. He hadn’t even glanced at Lest. “He realised his letter would arrive at about the same time I would, and I wanted to surprise you.” He slung an arm around Arthur’s shoulder and, to Lest’s dismay, began steering him away from the lake and back towards Selphia.

“Excuse me,” Lest tried, “ _excuse me!_ ”

Cador looked back over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the unkempt farmer standing in the mud. “Who is this, Arthur?” the prince asked. “One of the locals?”

 _“I’m his boyfriend_ ,” said Lest.

-

Cador burst out laughing.

Arthur could only wait, dread creeping up his spine, for his brother to stop. Lest’s cheeks were slightly flushed, but he had the same look of determination that he usually wore while fighting dragons. Cador slapped at Arthur’s shoulder with one jewel encrusted hand, bent double, before finally straightening up.

“ _Really?_ ” he hooted, still laughing, “ _Finally?_ With _him?_ ” Cador jabbed his finger back at Lest, who was looking more frustrated by the second. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Arty!”

“Well, if you’re quite finished, I believe we have business to attend to,” Arthur said tersely. His headache was getting worse, like an ice-pick chipping away at the inside of his skull. If he could get back to his office, he could take a healing potion and he’d be fine. He just had to survive Cador until then—‘ _give you a hand_ ’, right, as if that was why Father needed Cador out from under his feet.

“Yeah,” Lest interrupted, “Arthur’s on a date. With _me_.”

Cador’s mouth twitched, but not with mirth this time. He released Arthur in order to fully turn, giving Lest the full force of his princely stare. Lest returned it without so much as a blink.

“I am afraid,” Cador said crisply, “That Prince Arthur and I have royal business to attend to, and could do without the interruption.”

Lest responded immediately. “Well, Arthur and I have _personal_ business to attend to.”

Arthur quickly shook his head, trying to get Lest to _shut up already_ , but the motion sent sharp stabs of pain through his skull and Arthur had to stop, eyes squeezed shut.

“I _think,_ " Cador drawled, "that the safety of Norad takes prece–”

“Arthur’s _health_ takes precedence!” Lest snapped. “ _Look at him!_ ”

Arthur forced his eyes open and met Lest’s gaze. There was deep concern beneath the anger, and despite everything, Arthur felt a rush of affection.

Cador, meanwhile, was giving him an odd look, scrutinising Arthur’s face. “Arty,” he said, “are… are you alright?”

He wasn’t.

Arthur knew he’s wasn’t, because as soon as he tried to draw breath, he couldn’t.

Or… or if he could, none of it seemed to _work_. Air rushed in and out of his lungs, but his throat felt tight, and sharp pains were shooting through his chest. Arthur’s heart was racing, each beat driving a white hot knife of pain through his head, and as it reached an agonising peak-

His vision greyed out.

“ _Arthur!!_ ”

Arthur came to. He was propped awkwardly in Lest’s arms, legs weak and unable to support him. Gently, he was lowered to sit on the soft grass.

“I’m taking you to the clinic,” Lest said shakily, and Arthur didn’t argue. Couldn’t, because although the worst seemed to have passed, he was still unable to talk.

Lest put one arm under Arthur’s shoulders, the other under his knees, and slowly rose. Arthur wound his fingers into the fabric of Lest’s cloak, but otherwise didn’t move. It felt good to be held.

“Arty?” For all his colours, Cador looked subdued. He watched, chewing on the inside of his mouth, a tic Arthur hadn’t seen years.

“C’mon,” Lest said to him, a little kinder now. “It’s this way. Not far.”

Arthur closed his eyes, Lest’s hair tickling his cheek. He wanted to apologise, again, but had the feeling that Lest would take none of it. They soon reached the clinic, Lest’s strong body easily able to support Arthur, and Cador got the door.

“Jones?” Lest called. The doctor appeared and ushered them inside. Lest sat Arthur down on the nearest bed, keeping a steadying hand on one shoulder while the doctor gathered his equipment.

Arthur was already feeling better. His head hurt, but he felt… he was feeling better. Felt looked-after. Secure. _Safe_.

Cador hovered by the screen, and startled when Nancy gently took his elbow. “Why don’t you have some tea with me and Dolce?” she suggested kindly. “It’s best not to crowd the clinic, and we’ll only be upstairs.”

Arthur caught his brother’s eye and managed a small nod. Reluctantly, Cador followed Nancy away, and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.

“What seems to be the problem?” Jones asked.

“Arthur collapsed,” Lest blurted. “He—there was something wrong with his breathing, and he fell.”

“I see,” said Jones, calm and collected as ever. “Arthur, if you could please remove your cloak and…” he glanced at what Arthur was wearing, “robe, I’d like to listen to your chest.”

Arthur pushed his cloak off and started on the buttons, only for Lest to swoop in and do it for them, nimble fingers quickly parting the fabric. Jones was fighting a smile, not looking at Lest, as he warmed a stethoscope on his hand.

Breathe normally, breathe deeply, in and out, follow the light, did that hurt, is this in focus…

Arthur endured the tests. Beside him, he could feel Lest getting more and more anxious, like a spring being steadily wound.

“Is he ok??” Lest demanded eventually. “What happened??”

“In a minute, Lest,” Jones said calmly. “Arthur, have you been under a lot of stress lately? More than usual?”

The question was actually enough to earn a laugh. Arthur nodded, then winced as it made his headache spike. Jones leapt to his feet and retrieved a pill Arthur didn’t recognise, similar to status reliever, and a glass of water. Arthur took both gratefully before he continued.

“You could say that,” he said, a little hoarse. Arthur glanced guiltily at Lest. “I… I didn’t sleep last night.”

Jones frowned. “Didn’t sleep? As in you couldn’t?”

“No.” Arthur shook his head and it barely hurt at all. “I… I was working.”

Jones tutted, and began to repack his things. “You’ve exhausted yourself, “ he said, “and it seems that stress caused a severe anxiety attack. I prescribe a nap, Arthur, followed by a minimum of three days’ rest.”

Rest, honestly, sounded like the best thing in the world. Arthur began to nod, but stopped and quickly shook his head. “I can’t!” he insisted. “My father… he wrote to me. He’s given me the task of organising communications and partnerships with groups that have split from the old Sechs Empire.” Arthur glanced briefly at Lest, before looking at the floor. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I would have told you, but… I didn’t want you to worry.”

Lest hugged him, running a hand through Arthur’s hair. “It’s ok,” he said. “Really. I’m just glad you’re not sick or hurt!”

“Sleep here for an hour or so at least,” Jones insisted, moving towards the front of the clinic. “I’ll dim the lights. Lest, stay with Arthur and make sure he stays put.” He disappeared. The room darkened and footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs. Slowly, Arthur stripped to his waist and toed off his shoes, removing his glasses and sliding under the covers. He closed his eyes. Lest continued to stroke his hair, easing Arthur towards sleep.

“…You stayed up all night?” Arthur cracked an eye open. Lest looked guilty for having spoken, but he deserved to know.

“Yes,” Arthur said quietly. “I wanted to have all my work done, so that I could spend the whole day with you, if you wished… Mm.” Arthur rolled onto his side and curled up a little. “Not my greatest plan by far,” he mumbled into the pillow.

Lest dropped his cape on the floor and pulled off his boots. After fighting his belt for a moment he dropped that too, and crawled into the narrow bed beside Arthur.

“You did that for _me_ ,” Lest whispered, as they curled around each other. “You shouldn’t have,” he added quickly. “But… thanks, Arthur. I…” Lest’s voice became even quieter, words barely breathed. “I was scared, for a little bit, that you didn’t want to spend time with me.”

Arthur’s chest hurt in a very different way. He kissed Lest’s cheek and got as close as he could.

“I love you,” he said. “I really, truly love you, Lest. And… I’ll spend the rest of my life with you, if you’ll let me.”

Lest’s breathing hitched. He found Arthur’s lips and kissed them deeply.

“Go to sleep,” Lest chuckled, slightly breathless. “We’ll talk later. But… I’d like that. I’d love that, Ari.”

Arthur fell asleep smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't expect this to get so long lmao


End file.
